Recovery of alcohol from alcoholic liquid



G. H. CONDICT RECOVERY OF ALCOHOL FROM ALCOHOLIC LIQUID Filed march 1922 u I 4 0 W I VVE/VTOH A TTORNEYS alcoholic liquid is introduced is preferably other suitable material.

Patented Aug. 11, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEoRGEnEBBEn'r common or PLAINFIELD, NEW

RECOVERY OF ALCOHOL FROM ALCOHOLIC LIQUID.

Application filed. March 18, 1922. Serial No. 543,168.

from Alcoholic Liquid, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part hereof. V

In another application, filed October 14, 1921, Ser. No. 507,642, there is described a method for the recovery of alcohol from alcoholic liquid'in accordance with which the alcoholic liquid is introduced. in a finely divided condition into an atmosphere .at a temperature abbve the boiling point of the alcohol, whereby the alcohol .is evaporated from the globules of alcoholic liquid and is subsequently condensed while the globules of residue liquid are permitted to coalesce and to be withdrawn.. If the alcohol is to be denatured the atmosphere into which the itself a den-aturant, being derived from the destructive distillation of wood or fibre or In the commercial development of the method disclosed in that asplication it has been found'that economic vantage can be secured by improvements in details of operation and of apparatus ',which are set forthin the present application, the practice of the method, generally.

I speaking, being carried on in substantially the same manner as described in said application. The invention will be explained more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawing in which it is illustrated and in which- Figure 1 is a view in front elevation, artly in. outline and diagrammatic, of the improved apparatus.

Figure 2 is a'similar view in side elevation, with the furnace and pumps omitted.

Figure 3 is a top view of the same. Figure4 is a "view of a detail to be referred to.

.The beer, under which name the alcoholcontaining liquid is commonly known in the art, whatever may be its specific character,

is conducted from its source of supply, indicated at 1, through a pipe at, a pre-heater and condenser b and a p1 e b to a pump,

' sufliciently indicated at c, y which the beer is delivered under pressure into the chamber inf-which the evaporation of the alcohol is carried on. Since the successful practice of the method depends in. part upon the maintenance of the predetermined pressure under which the beer is discharged into the evaporating atmosphere, the pumpc is I provided with a. regulator c", of usual construction, not necessary to be described in detail,'which may control, through a switch 0 an electrical signalling device 0 so that any substantial change in operating conditions, such as might be occasioned, for example, by the clogging of the nozzle herelnafter mentioned, shall make itself known at once.

From the pump a the beer is'delivered under pressure, through a pipe 0, heatingcoil 0 and pipe 0 to an atomizing nozzle 03 at one end of the evaporating chamber e which is preferably formed as a cylinder of considerable length and is jacketed by a surrounding shell f so that the temperature within the evaporating chamber can be maintained as hereinafter described. A furnace g of suitable construction, servmg both to supply the denaturant' atmosphere, if the alcohol is to be denatured, and,

the heat necessary to maintain the evaporating chamber at the required temperature,

is connected through a pipe g, provided with a regulating valve or damper g", to

the eva orating chamber for-the purpose of supp ying thereto the denaturant 8.1311108, The furnace g is also connected preferably provided with a valve or damper g for the purpose of regulating the passage of the hot roducts of destructivedistillation rthroug the pipe g. The valve or damper g is operated in the usual manner by a motor, indicated at g", the operation of which is controlled, through an electric circuit (7 from a thermostat g which is influence by the temperature at the outlet end of the evaporatmg'chamber' e.

The beer, initially heated in the pre-heater I) and brought to a relatively hi h tem erature in'the heating coil 0, is disc arg into the evaporating chamber e, through the atomizing nozzle (1, as a fine spray or mist,

quality of a.

' alcohol is discharged while the uncondensed vapors may be drawn off and the movement of the denaturant atmosphere into the evaporating chamber and the movement of the mingled alcoholic vapors and denaturant atmosphere therefrom may be promoted by a suitable suction fan indicated at 72?.

Such liquids as condense in the chamber e may be drawn off at the bottom of the chamber, as indicated at h and may be returned through a pipe h to a second pumpr by which such liquids may be delivered, 1n the same manner as already described, to a second evaporating chamber e also connected to the dephlegmator h. In like manner'condensed liquid from the end of the second evaporating chamber e and from the dephlegmator which receives the vapors from all of the evaporating chambers, may be returned, it necessary, to a third evaporating chamber e through a pump 0*. The liquids condensed in the third chamber e may be.

discharged through a pump 0. The heated roducts of destructive distillation from the urnace g are delivered through the header 9 to the jackets f, f and f of the respective evaporating chambers e, e and a, through ipes g and g", in which are placed the eatin coils a and a" as previously describe The header pipe g may also be connected to the evaporating chambers e and e, as already described, for the purpose of delivering to them the denaturant atmosphere. By such means it is possible to recover substantially all of the alcoholic content, of the alcohol-containing liquid which is under treatment.

The heated products of distillation, having given up much of their heat in their passage through the annular space between the evaporating chambers and the jackets, pass off through a pipe z which is provided with a valve .or damper 'i'. The pipe 2' is also connected, as at i and i with a jacket is around the de hlegmator h, the jacket being also provide wit an air inlet and an air outlet, as at z" and i tions 1? and i and the inlet and outlet 73 and z is cient or dampers at i, i" and i are regulated by Each of the connec-- provided with a valve or damper, sufii-. y indicated by the corresponding reference character i i 11", i The valves indicated at l in the pipe h, while the valves or dampers 2' and 2' are similarly regulated by a motor 1 under the control, through an electrical circuit l, of a thermostat at P. By such means it is possible to regulate to a nicety the temperature under which the dephlegmation of the alcoholic vapors is carried on.

.The details of the thermostatic control form no part of the present invention, but in order that theoperati on may be understood the conventional representation in Figure 4, of the control of the dampers i and 2' willbe explained briefly. From the source of current supply m, connection is made, as at m, with one end of the sensitive member m of the thermostat Z, the movable end of such sensitive member carrying a contact m which, by contact with the terminal m under the influence of rising temperature, or with the terminal m under the influence of falling tem erature, closes the circuit in one direction t rough some of the field coils Z of the motor l and in the opposite direction through some of the field coils Z, of the motor Z or through other of the field coils Z and Z, to drive the motors l and Z in one direction or the other, to o en the damper] and close the damper or to close thedamper Z and open the damper Z, as conditions may require. The circuits are completed through the armatures of the respective motors in the usual manner. The shafts i and i of the. respective dampers are armed with fingers i and 5" respectively, which act upon switches '6 i z' and i to open or close the respective branches of the field coil circuits to start, stop and reverse the motors as conditions may require.

It will be understood that chan es in details of operation, construction an arrangement will be made to suit different conditions and that the invention, except as pointed out inthe claims, is not restricted to the articular construction shown and described erein.

I claim as my invention:

1. An apparatus for the recovery of alcohol from alcoholic liquid, which com prises a 'acketed chamber, means for introducing into the chamber the alcoholic liquid in a finely divided condition, a furnace, means to conduct products of destructive distillation from the furnace to the chamber to supply a denatu: ant atmos here, and means to conduct heat products rom the furnace to the jacketed space about the chamber to maintain the chamber at a temperature above the boiling point of alcohol.

2. An apparatus for the recovery of alco hol from alcoholic liquid, which comprises a jacketed chamber, a" furnace, means to conduct roducts of destructive distillation from t e furnace the chamber to supply ber, means to supply a denaturant atmosphere, a pipe to conduct heat products from the furnace to the jacketed space about the chamber, and means for introducing into the chamber the alcoholic liquid in a finely divided condi-' for the recovery of alcohol from alcoholic liquid, which comprises a jacketed chamber, 'means for introducing into the chamber the alcoholic liquid in a, 'finely divided condition, a jacketed dephlegmator to receive the vapors from the chamber, means to sup ly heat to the jacketed space about the c amber, means to direct the heat from the jacketed space about the chamber to the jacketed space about the dephlegmator, a valve to'control the passage of heat to the jacketed space about the de phlegmator and a thermostat subject to the temperature of the vapors which pass from the dephlegmator and operatively connected with said valve to regulate the same.

5., An apparatus for the recovery of alcohol from alcoholic liquid, which comprisesa chamber, means for introducing into the chamber the alcoholic liquid in a finely divided condition, means for supplying heat to the chamber to maintain therein a temperature ,above the boiling point of alcohol, a jacketed dephlegmator to receive the vapors from the chamber, a valve to regulate the admission of air to the jacketed space about the dephlegmator and a thermostat subject to the temperature of the vapors which leave the dephlegmator and operatively connected with the said valve to regulate the same. i

This specification signed this 10th day of March A. D. 1922,

GEORGE HERBERT CONDICT. 

